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Meet the Starting XI of football’s most prominent voices aged 30 and under
From Chunkz to Angry Ginge, the line up have a combined audience of 63.5M followers.
The first ‘UA92 Influence Index’ has been announced. Find out who made the team, as we name our next generation of stand out personalities in football media for 2026. This is the next generation of broadcasters, creators and influencers, all making strides in the world of football media.
From match reaction, tactical debate, fan culture and behind-the-scenes entertainment, this new wave of young talent are changing the landscape of football media.
Combined, these personalities in our Starting XI have a social audience of 63.5 million followers*, almost the size of the UK population.
The UA92 World Cup Influence Index:
1. Chunkz
- Total Followers: 14,238,614
- UA92’s Influence Score: 4.13
2. Niko Omilana
- Total Followers: 12,586,000
- UA92’s Influence Score: 4.02
3. Angry Ginge (Morgan Burtwistle)
- Total Followers: 7,302,501
- UA92’s Influence Score: 3.71
4. Thogden
- Total Followers: 12,586,000
- UA92’s Influence Score: 4.02
5. ChrisMD (Christopher Michael Dixon)
- Total Followers: 9,216,395
- UA92’s Influence Score: 3.21
6. Harry Lewis (W2S)
- Total Followers: 3,900,000
- UA92’s Influence Score: 3.20
7. Ethan Payne (Behzinga)
- Total Followers: 3,137,000
- UA92’s Influence Score: 2.97
8. Danny Aarons
- Total Followers: 3,968,000
- UA92’s Influence Score: 2.63
9. Leah Williamson
- Total Followers: 1,260,672
- UA92’s Influence Score: 2.17
10. Sharky
- Total Followers: 2,880,000
- UA92’s Influence Score: 1.92
11. Alessia Russo
- Total Followers: 1,129,521
- UA92’s Influence Score: 1.87
Influence Index Results
Chunkz tops the rankings with his 14.2 million-strong audience, which he built through football content, celebrity interviews and viral entertainment videos.
Niko Omilana ranks a close second. His niche is combining football content with viral stunts and mainstream entertainment. He has a following of more than 12.5 million.
Manchester United fan Angry Ginge comes third. His cultural impact score of 4.53 out of a possible 5, surged thanks to viral creator matches and mainstream TV appearances contributing to a growing profile beyond football content.
Matchday creator Thogden ranks fourth with his fan-first coverage from stadiums across the world and one of the highest engagement rates in the Index at 29.27 per cent.
W2S and Behzinga also make the side. As part of YouTube group, The Sidemen, they have helped popularise creator football through viral content, charity matches and collaborations watched by millions of fans.
They are joined by ChrisMD, with his football challenges, trick shots and collaborations with professional players which have earned him a loyal following among football fans.
The study also highlights the growing influence of women’s football, with England stars Leah Williamson and Alessia Russo both making the team.
*Data pulled using Influencity as of May 2026
Behind the Index
The ranking combined seven weighted metrics:
- Cultural Impact (“Heat”) – 30%
- Followers / Reach – 20%
- Engagement Rate – 15%
- Video Views – 15%
- Average Interactions – 10%
- Likes – 5%
- Comments – 5%
“The personalities in our Starting XI have built audiences that would have been unimaginable in football media a decade ago. The findings show how a new generation of fans now follows football differently, consuming content from creators, streamers and social media personalities before, during and after the game.” – Spencer Fearn, Course Leader at UA92
It takes more than players…
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